Deputy Editor, WAtoday

Pressure is mounting on the state government to remove a cap on the amount of compensation available to victims of child sex abuse at state-run hostels, after Labor agreed to do so.

The state opposition said it would support allowing victims to apply for an open-ended figure based on their experiences, after meeting with several victims and supporters on Tuesday.

The recent Blaxell inquiry into historic child abuse at state-run hostels across WA found dozens of children were abused and attempts to report allegations to authorities were shut down or ignored.

In September Premier Colin Barnett acknowledged the findings and accepted all of Justice Blaxell's recommendations. He announced compensation of up to $45,000 per person would be available.

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But victims claim the figure is too low and there should not be a cap.

"How can you put a price on it?" John Jolly, who was abused by Dennis McKenna at St Andrew's Hostel during the 1980s, said.

"We've lived with this for a long time and it's pretty hard. It's hard on our family, it's hard on our children, it's hard on everyone around us.

"Anything that can make life a bit more comfortable, a bit easier, and pay for everybody's medical bills [would be good]."

Mr Barnett has described $45,000 as fair and in-line with the state's general compensation fund, Redress WA. He said victims could sue the state government if they wanted more.

"We recognise no amount of money is enough to compensate victims for the trauma and abuse they have suffered, however, the Government has determined the fairest option available is to be consistent with the Redress scheme," Mr Barnett said.

"The ex-gratia scheme that is to be set up by the government will have no bearing on any civil damages that individuals may choose to pursue."

Labor's Member for Albany Peter Watson said the suggestion that victims take legal action was "arrogant" and they should not have to endure another court process.

"They had to relive it for Redress WA, they had to relive it for the Blaxell inquiry and now the Premier has come out and said we want you to relive it again just so you can get up to $45,000," he said.

"That stinks of arrogance. These guys' whole lives have been affected."

Mr Watson said Labor would prefer the $45,000 to be the minimum, rather than maximum.

"How can you make a maximum price for the suffering that people went through?" he said.

"A lot of [the victims involved in the Blaxell inquiry] didn't start out with compensation on their mind; all they wanted to do was get justice.

"Some of them don't feel they've got justice and now they're looking at compensation for all that they've gone through and I fully support them."

Mr Watson said the total amount of compensation would likely be far less than the state government defending a civil court case against it.

Lawyer John Hammond, who represents more than 30 victims, said it was "very, very, very wrong" for the Premier to force victims to pursue compensation through the courts after the Blaxell inquiry found the government had a responsibility to protect them during their time at the hostels.

He said members of the government had said they would support lifting the cap.

"[All of the victims] need to be adequately compensated for what they've been through and for this government to say $45,000 is enough is a total insult and a slap in the face," Mr Hammond said.

Former St Andrew's student Robyn King, who was a head mistress when McKenna was first employed as a warden in 1976, attended a meeting with Mr Watson to discuss the compensation in support of the victims.

She said the abuse had "destroyed" at least three generations, including the parents and children of victims.

Offering appropriate compensation may encourage them to open up about their experience.

"They need a hell of a lot [of money] for the rest of their lives, to have counselling, whatever it takes," she said outside State Parliament.

"And there's a lot of victims out there that are silent who haven't come forward, [they're] too scared and are suffering in silence."